Fundraising-Ready Workbook
This workbook is for YOU. There are no rules or deadlines. We hope this tool helps you get ready for an upcoming fundraising effort, wherever your fundraising happens!
Plan Your Strategy
A thoughtful strategy or plan supports your organization in reaching ambitious goals that contribute to your overall impact. It’s okay if you don’t have a strategy yet, and it’s not too late to start! Ideally, a sustainable funding strategy is:
Reliable: You can count on consistent funding streams yearly and plan more accurately. This might look like a multi-year grant or individual monthly donors.
Diverse: You receive funds from various sources and are not overly reliant on a single funder.
Flexible: You have control over how your funds are used and can direct them to your community's needs rather than what a funder thinks is a good idea. Flexible spending can support operational costs and infrastructure, ensuring your organization can continue serving your community.
Right-Sized: You have enough to cover what you need but not more than you can manage.
Setting SMART Goals
Whether you're setting a fundraising goal for a specific project or your entire organization, ask yourself these questions:
How much have we raised in the past?
How much do we need to raise to make an impact?
What is our capacity (time, people, resources, etc.) to fundraise?
With these reflections in mind, you can set funding goals that are specific, realistic, and that move you toward sustainability.
🎦 Watch this short video to hear why community leaders prioritize sustainable funding.
Plan Our Strategy
Goal Setting
Use your funding totals and sources from the past year to set goals for the next year. What could make your fundraising strategy more diverse, reliable, flexible, and right-sized?
Past Year = what you have data for right now
Next Year = whatever you’re setting goals for
Past Year
Next Year/Goal
Total Operating Budget
$ or local currency
$ or local currency
Grants and Institutional Contributions (government, foundations, corporations, etc.)
_____ % of total
_____ % of total
Individual Donors
_____ % of total
_____ # of donors
_____ % of total
_____ # of donors
Earned Revenue ($$ received in exchange for goods/services)
_____ % of total
_____ % of total
Other (ex: in-kind donations)
_____ % of total
_____ % of total
Trying to set goals for a specific fundraising worksheet? Use this Goal Setting Worksheet to guide your planning.
Tell Your Story
Donors are more likely to support your work when they understand how you will channel their generosity to make a difference. Good storytelling is essential to your sustainable fundraising strategy because it keeps people giving!
Inspire connection through personal storytelling. The people closest to the problem community members and/or staff) are often the most influential storytellers. Here is a downloadable checklist to master the basics of nonprofit storytelling.
Talk about impact in terms of transformation. Combine data, photographs, and individual stories to show rather than tell how things have changed because of your work.
Portray your community with dignity and strength to inspire empathy and connection rather than pity. Choose photos that show the positive impact that you are making and leave out images of despair. We encourage you to review the GlobalGiving Community Photo Standards.
🎦 Watch this short video to hear how community leaders inspire donors through storytelling!
💡Dive deeper with these two reports from the Centre for Public Impact.
Storytelling for Systems Change
Listening to Understand
Tell Our Story
Story Elements
Outline the essential elements of your work, which you can then tailor for different audiences. This format mirrors GlobalGiving project pages, which you can see in action on our website. Whether you’re fundraising on GlobalGiving or not, we hope the guiding questions support you in creating digestible messaging.
Project Title:
Recommended 50 character maximum, start with a verb (Ex: “Send 50 girls to school this year”)
Summary: What will this project do?
Recommended 500 character maximum
Challenge
What is the problem or need?
Recommended 500 character maximum
Solution
How will this project solve the problem?
Recommended 500 character maximum
Long-Term Impact
How will this make a lasting impact in your community?
Recommended 500 character maximum
Tell Our Story
Photo Gallery
Choose the images that show the impact of your work and draft clear captions. Choose high-resolution photos that are positive and empowering and show the community you serve with respect and dignity. Before sharing a photo, ask yourself this question: Would I want to be portrayed this way? Does this image instill hope?
PHOTO
PHOTO
Caption
Caption
PHOTO
PHOTO
Caption
Caption
Grow Your Network
The most common goal of GlobalGiving nonprofit partners is growing their network of supporters – specifically, attracting new individual donors.
Even if you’re starting with zero donors, you likely already have a network of people who know and support your work: friends and family members, neighbors, volunteers, constituents, and board members. They can be your biggest fundraising advocates by spreading the word and connecting you with their extended networks.
Consider the following ways that your current supporters could help you grow your network:
Donors are the people who can give money – even if it’s just a little – and possibly encourage others to do the same. We recommend having at least ten online donors before considering partnering with GlobalGiving. The easiest way for a person to donate via GlobalGiving is to use a debit/credit card.
Connectors are the people who can introduce you directly to potential strategic partners (foundations, corporate sponsors, potential major donors) and/or amplify your message through their extended networks (social media or locally face-to-face).
Volunteers are the people who can give time. They can help translate or copy-edit messages, update your website, or take high-quality photos.
🎦 Watch this short video to hear how community leaders have built and grown their network of supporters!
Grow Our Network
Network Map
List the names of about 4-8 people in each category below who already know and love your work. They may not be potential donors, but they could give in other ways (see step 2). Do not use full names when sharing your workbook.
Tag each name with one (or more) of the following ways they can support your work:
(D) Donation: Who could give money but isn't already donating?
(C) Connections: Who could amplify your message or introduce you to potential funders or other partners?
(V) Volunteering: Who could give their time to help you spread the word and grow your network?
Friends & Family
Ex: Frankie (D, C)
Do NOT use full names when sharing your workbook.
Staff, Volunteers, Board
Do NOT use full names when sharing your workbook.
Mission-Aligned Organizations
Do NOT use full names when sharing your workbook.
Community Members
Do NOT use full names when sharing your workbook.
KEY
D = Donation | C = Connections | V = Volunteering
Grow Our Network
Targeted Messages
Once you've identified your supporters, it's time to ask them for what you need– whether that’s funding, connections, or volunteering time.
Donation
Connection
Volunteering
Call to Action:
Donate $_________
Call to Action:
Introduce us to ____
OR
Share our message with your network
Call to Action:
Help us by sharing your skills in …
Key Message
Key Message
Ex: Could you like and re-share our Instagram post on your account?
Key Message
Nurture Your Relationships
Building relationships with your donors is important so they stick with you over time. Donor retention reduces the cost of fundraising and helps organizations plan more reliably.
So how can you nurture those relationships with your donors so that they continue to invest in your work and your community?
Know Your Donors: Use data and conversations to understand better who makes up your donor network so you can personalize your messages. Why are they supporting this work? When do they tend to give? What kinds of messages are more motivating?
Thank Your Donors: Personal, prompt, and sincere messages of thanks help donors feel like their gifts are making a real difference. Whether you call a donor on the phone or mail a handwritten note from a beneficiary-- let your donors know what their gift means to you and your community.
Update Your Donors: Regularly share stories that illustrate the impact of donors' gifts. Story updates keep your organization front of mind and build trust through transparency.
Involve Your Donors: Invite them to see the work in action during a site visit or get to know your community during a celebration (in person or virtual).
🎦 Watch this short video to hear how community leaders nurture their donor relationships.
Nurture Our Relationships
Thank You Note
Use the checklist below to compose a thank you note that is ready to send to donors during your next fundraising effort.
Personal: Use a conversational tone, especially if you know the donor. Include faces and voices from your community if possible.
Timely: Send within a day or two of their gift.
Impact: Tell how the donation will be used to make a difference.
Call to action: Invite your donor to share your project page with their networks.